The mission of the Massachusetts Policy and Organizing Leadership Academy (The Academy) is to help leaders and organizations effectively and confidently participate in public life and influence the advancement of social, economic and racial justice.

Mel King: The History and Legacy of Community Development, January 2012

The legendary Mel King talks about community, power, organizing, and politics. Watch some of his extraordinary teachings…PLUS more with powerful and moving clips of Lew Finfer on leadership and community advocate Ashley Rose, with a Spoken Word poem about change in Boston.

Recognizing the “I” in politics: Mel King talks about his philosophy of organizing and making change in your community. Every person has to recognize why change matters to them: “No change comes to any person or group until they say they are somebody, they are deserving, and they have a right.”

TentCity, the Highway and the Orange Line: Mel King tells the story of the community campaign to stop highway I-95 from going through neighborhoods in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston using a “maximum feasible participation” coalition model.

Race for Mayor of Boston: In 1983, Mel King was the first African American to be a finalist in a Boston Mayor’s election, which resulted in an unprecedented coalition of people coming together in the racially polarized city, giving a groundbreaking voice to people of all background and races who had previously felt disenfranchised.

Mel King recites a lesson in poem about keeping doors open to those in need.

Community advocate Ashley Rose challenges the audience with her moving Spoken Word poem about change in Boston.

And here are two videos of Frances Fox Piven — first the keynote, then some comments on Occupy. Frances is is introduced by MWRO Organizer Lee Staples.

Bill Pastreich, MWRO’s Chief Organizer, talks about how it all got started.

Here are the stories from the audience — including the feisty wonderful Dottie Stevens on the left more soon.

And here is the Q & A session starting off with Jeanne Dever giving Bill Pastreich a hard time.

Here is the link to all the Academy Videos, including the Frances Fox Piven and the Mel King sessions, and the latest Parents on the March session at the Freedom House.

Many people have told us they are using these videos for training and inspiring new organizers in Boston, because each sessions — one on The History and Legacy of Community Development, another on the History and Legacy of Welfare Rights Organizing, and the summer session on Organizing around Quality Education in Boston Public Schools are very powerful.

The videos may take a few minutes to load depending on the speed of your Internet connection.